Thwaites steps in on Devilbend

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Environmentalists are claiming victory in a five-year battle to save an ecologically important stretch of land on the Mornington Peninsula that they now hope will become a national park.

The intervention of Environment Minister John Thwaites in the fight against development of Devilbend by 36 environment and community groups is seen as a big step towards keeping the land for a wildlife sanctuary and ecotourism centre.

Environmentalists and locals have been pulling out all the stops in their fight to turn the 1057-hectare former Melbourne Water reservoir into a self-sustaining ecosystem, now home to 84 significant species.

The site has two reservoirs that are no longer used since Melbourne Water installed a new pipeline system and is one-third water. It is in the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO project that calls for strict preservation of the environment and the protection of species.

Environmentalists nominated Devilbend as the next great battle - after the recent successful fight to save Point Nepean from development. They are opposing a water authority proposal to sell about one-third of the site for hobby farms, with the rest to be maintained as a reserve.

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The late Sir Rupert Hamer, a former Victorian premier, repeatedly petitioned Mr Thwaites to intervene against development and strongly opposed it until his death in March.

Locals and environmentalists say a carve-up would leave too little habitat for important species and regeneration of some of the most valuable remnants of natural vegetation on the Mornington Peninsula.

Devilbend is halfway between Mount Martha on Port Phillip Bay and Hastings on Western Port Bay. It is considered by Birds Australia to be crucial for the survival of certain species - including the endangered Australasian bittern - already devastated by years of drought.

Significant species in the area that are said to depend on the site include the orange-bellied parrot, southern bell frog, eastern mourning skink, swampland coolskink and grey-headed flying-fox.

Roger Richards, of Birds Australia said: "If we carve this up for hobby farmers, not only would we be diminishing very important habitats and species but we would open up the land to people, cats and dogs and that would further devastate bird and other wildlife."

A move by the minister to set up the Devilbend Reservoir Working Group is seen by Dr Brian Cuming, research co-ordinator of the Western Port and Peninsula Protection Council, as taking the matter away from Melbourne Water and placing it in a more sensitive place for such decision making, such as the minister's department.